Can I suggest to use Metric system as the main data and Imperial as the one on parenthesis? Since Imperial is only use in few regions of the globe.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
13-Inch vs. 15-Inch MacBook Air Buyer's Guide
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
and if you add 16gb ram, and 512gb ssd, the difference between the 14inch MacBook pro is also shrunken.
The 15" Macbook Air M2 reminds me of my first Apple machine: 2006 Macbook Pro. Simple, beautiful, elegant. I am so tempted to buy one.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
Suspended
Have to say 15" MacBook Air without the speaker grilles looks amazing!
Totally irrelevant as this thread is discussing the size of the 15" MBA. Compare the 2008 MBA with the 2023 15" MBA. Does it still fit in that envelope?
I was talking about an 11” model, which was super easy to carry about.
What was the size of that manila envelope? It couldn't have been 9x12 as the original MacBook Air wouldn't have fit. Must have been 10x13.
2008 13" MacBook Air specs
Height: 0.16 inches to 0.76 inches
Width: 12.8 inches
Depth: 8.94 inches
Weight: 3.0 lbs (1.36 kg)
2023 15" MacBook Air specs
Height: 0.45 inch (1.15 cm)
Width: 13.40 inches (34.04 cm)
Depth: 9.35 inches (23.76 cm)
Weight: 3.3 pounds (1.51 kg)
Looks like the 15" MBA can fit in it though it will stick out a bit with its 13.4 inch width
The size difference between 13 and 15 inch makes absolutely no difference for the vast majority of bags that people would use to carry their laptop around.
You said "do you remember how proud Steve Jobs was pulling the original one out of that envelope during the presentation?"
Steve Jobs pulled out from a manila envelope a 13.3-inch MacBook Air, not an 11.6-inch MacBook Air. The 11.6-inch Air didn't come out until 2 years later.
I'm thinking the same thing too! I bought the original MacBook Air when I needed to upgrade from I think it was a PowerPC G4 MacBook Pro (I think they were called PowerBooks back then, but boy do I not remember!). I could feel the compromise but really liked the lightweight aspect of that notebook. But when I needed to upgrade many years later, I opted for the MacBook Pro because by then the Pros were light enough and not as much of a compromise compared to the original MBAs.
I've been using MBP since and now I am wondering if I can go back to the "Air" model of things.
You have a point there! I am wondering about this too, mostly for "future proofing". While the upcoming Air model would definitely suit me just fine for my purposes, I wonder if down the road the Pro model will be better future proofed, like able to "accept"/use as well the later macOS as they upgrade from version to version. I simply don't know.
I have discovered in the past that too early a compromise in the beginning may mean that I get fewer years with the machine, not necessarily because of physical breakdowns but because it does not work as well with the later macOS revisions.
This would be probably single point that would make me get a model from the Pro line instead of the Air.
My current model is a 2017 MBP 13" and for what I use it for it runs just fine and does not feel slow AT ALL (in spite of someone disagreeing with me on another post about it -- LOL. Kinda funny thinking about it cuz it's my experience and I don't feel it's slow so why disagree? Anywhoo....). It's just too bad come Fall when macOS revision is disseminated that this 2017 MBP cannot use the latest
It'll be ok overall, I think. Maybe this MBP still has 3 or 4 more years left.
I'm getting the 15" Air, later this fall. I want to watch a bunch of reviews first and take my time as a newbie.
However this 256GB SSD craze is starting to annoy me with all the people complaining about the 13.6" model. Look, I have a 8 year old Windows laptop, that has a traditional spinning hard drive in it (it was 1TB). I replaced it earlier this year with a 2TB SSD from Crucial for like $150 bucks, it was a night a day difference and only has read/write speeds approaching 900mbps. The single chip 256GB SSD (if the 15" model has this same setup), is way faster than what I have. Exactly how fast do you guys need an SSD to run at?
I did a test and copying large files last night and I was averaging about 500-600mbps, the single chip 256GB setup from Apple shows speed tests approaching almost 3X that amount of speed, that is crazy fast! I don't understand why people are complaining about it. Do you guys just sit at your Mac's all day and night copying large files or something?
Look I get it, tech people want the best of everything, but I think it's ridiculous to complain about something so mute. I will probably order it with 16/512, just because I want this sucker to last me a good decade or so. Otherwise, I would probably just get the base model.
Anyways, I just wanted to put my two cents in regarding this issue, it's really getting blown way out of hand. Yes, I hope the 15" model ends up having two, 128GB chips for the base model, but if it doesn't, it's really not a big deal.
However this 256GB SSD craze is starting to annoy me with all the people complaining about the 13.6" model. Look, I have a 8 year old Windows laptop, that has a traditional spinning hard drive in it (it was 1TB). I replaced it earlier this year with a 2TB SSD from Crucial for like $150 bucks, it was a night a day difference and only has read/write speeds approaching 900mbps. The single chip 256GB SSD (if the 15" model has this same setup), is way faster than what I have. Exactly how fast do you guys need an SSD to run at?
I did a test and copying large files last night and I was averaging about 500-600mbps, the single chip 256GB setup from Apple shows speed tests approaching almost 3X that amount of speed, that is crazy fast! I don't understand why people are complaining about it. Do you guys just sit at your Mac's all day and night copying large files or something?
Look I get it, tech people want the best of everything, but I think it's ridiculous to complain about something so mute. I will probably order it with 16/512, just because I want this sucker to last me a good decade or so. Otherwise, I would probably just get the base model.
Anyways, I just wanted to put my two cents in regarding this issue, it's really getting blown way out of hand. Yes, I hope the 15" model ends up having two, 128GB chips for the base model, but if it doesn't, it's really not a big deal.
I honestly think this is the most cohesive the Mac lineup has been in years, particularly the laptops. It kind of has something for everyone and I am finding it easier to help recommend machines to people now. It's close to that 4-quadrant matrix that they had back when the original iMac was introduced, with 2 solid baseline choices with the MBA and 2 solid "pro" choices. (Of course, the new Mac Pro is probably their most confusing change, I guess we'll see how it fares in the coming months. And the 8 GB and 256 SSDs are also corny at this point for how much they charge)
I have questioned the need for an Air at this point, or rather I don't see great distinction between Air and Pro lines insofar as weight is concerned.
Back in the day when the MBA came out, oh yes, existing laptops were so heavy and difficult to carry. Size-wise they were ok, but they were still too heavy for me. For example, I wouldn't consider bringing a laptop back then to a coffee shop regularly just to "play around" on the computer. With the MBA, finally we have a Mac that is really, really light. These days, the MBP are really [not] so bad and weight-wise quite light. The original MBA weighed about 3lb. The current 14" MBP weights 3.5lb. Ok, so a little heavier. But if you compare original MBA with the last 13" MBP, they weight exactly the same at 3lb.
[EDITED typo. Doing swipe on iPhone creates so so so many mistakes! I'm really looking forward to the new swipe on iOS 17. The number of times swipe just makes me type even slower. OMG!]
Last edited:
But even then the comparable machine is the 16" at $2,499, that's an $800 difference, which is a ton if you just want a decent full-size laptop, which is how the Air is positioned. Not everyone cares about mini LED/ Promotion, and many may prefer a sleeker, lighter form factor.
Ordered the base model. I think the base model is a great value proposition. If you spec it up in the least, then it’s not, and buy the base 14” Pro instead.
If i like it, i will be buying another one for my wife.
If i like it, i will be buying another one for my wife.
Apple is pricing this model very competitively. Perhaps the recent decline in sales (after the pop in 2020 and 2021) is prompting a rethinking of their pricing strategy. The 15” MacBook Air might become their best seller. It is lighter than the 14” MacBook Pro and has a slightly larger, albeit lower resolution screen.
Eh. I’d still choose the 13”. If I wanted a bigger laptop, I’d get a MacBook Pro.
I hope its better built, as in not as flimsy as MBA M2 13 is, especially when compared to MBP 14.
Those who say that their M2 MBA are rock solid with no flex or twist nor manufacturing defects(poor quality control on LCD assembly, wavy bottom plate) are high on Apple-copium.
Those who say that their M2 MBA are rock solid with no flex or twist nor manufacturing defects(poor quality control on LCD assembly, wavy bottom plate) are high on Apple-copium.
Last edited:
This is the "pro" argument all over again. It's not a real computer if you aren't running 16gb of memory. There are lots of pros out there that aren't playing around with drawings and video. People running companies off of iPads isn't unheard of. The whole attitude about 8gb vs 16gb is insane to me. It's like telling the mom looking for a car to get the family around in she should be buying the mustang not the outback.
The interesting thing is the weight when compared to the 14 and 16 pro.
14 MBP weights 3.5 pounds
16 MBP weights 4.7 pounds
15 MBA weights 3.3 pounds
The 14 pro is barely heavier, the 16 pro is a pound and a half more. Honestly I expected less weight for the air but overall it's not bad.
14 MBP weights 3.5 pounds
16 MBP weights 4.7 pounds
15 MBA weights 3.3 pounds
The 14 pro is barely heavier, the 16 pro is a pound and a half more. Honestly I expected less weight for the air but overall it's not bad.
That's one thing about this computer I'd possibly change, it seems to limit the sound quality on the 13" from reviews, and I think having them helps balance the keyboard deck aesthetically (at least on the lighter colours) but that's personal preference.